It’s been a strange sight at the Agana Heights Community Center the last several weeks. It looks different. It looks busy. Or, busier, as Agana Heights residents have a long, proud relationship with their sports facilities.

But the bustle isn’t coming from the gym, which houses its regulars. And it isn’t coming from the baseball field either, although there’s plenty of action there in the early evening.
The action and noise comes from the stage, the dais that was home to many a Christmas play and school performance.

The stage is now the home of the Martial Arts Movement, a civic group formed by Rick Catindig and led by living local legends and Brazilian jiujitsu black belts Jesse "Spiderman" Taitano and Terence Aflague.

Catindig got the idea from his longtime friends -- Kinney Blas, Lil' John Aguon and Nate Untalan. They welcomed all comers to grappling sessions in Barrigada. Catindig asked if he could help by providing a teacher who offered structure. Still, Catindig wanted to do more and thought he could start up another class if his old sparring partners would help.

"I had been thinking about this for a long time and it took more than a year to get the courage to ask them. They jumped on immediately," said Catindig. "Terence even thanked me for giving him the opportunity to give back. I couldn't believe it. And look at them teach, how they carry themselves, how they instill discipline. They're like my heroes. They're amazing, and I can't thank them enough."

Catindig pays them a fee he feels is embarrassingly low, and he has to push it upon them despite their protests. Their journeys have been long, he said, and it would be disrespectful not to compensate them.

"It's nowhere near what they would make for giving private lessons, not at all. And they are leading the instruction. Beginners at other gyms might not get to learn from a black belt from the get go," said Catindig.

Teachers

Yet at the Martial Arts Movement, they teach every week: Taitano with Catindig on Mondays through Wednesdays; and Aflague on Fridays.

They train each child with the attention worthy of a pro fighter with an upcoming bout, and even after watching an entire class or three, and between teacher and student, it's still not easy to say who's having more fun.

The instructors efforts can better be described by the parents, who bring their chairs to practice and hang out for the evening.

Rene Purugganan says that as soon as practice is over, his son Rene II, 7, is already eager for the next session.

(Story continues below)

Jesse "Spiderman" Taitano talks to his students at the Martial Arts Movement class held on Feb. 22, 2018.(Photo: Virgilio Valencia/For PDN)

"It's great for his physical well-being," he said. "And I see that he's learning, he's starting to comprehend the different techniques that they teach him."

He still smiles and shakes his head at how lucky he feels to have enrolled his son in time.

"I'm still amazed that it's free. I just want to say, 'Thank you very much.'"

Family dynamic

Agat resident Shawnte Potts says the jiujitsu classes have improved her family dynamic. Her daughter Sayhdie, 7, is normally the one to go over lessons learned in school, but since joining the movement, her 8-year-old son, Sage, is keeping his sister up to speed.

"When the flyer came out, I wasn't sure if it was correct. I'm told that classes are very expensive, maybe a hundred-some per kid," she said. "So I jumped on it, let me tell you. The discipline they learn, and the self-discipline, I've already seen improvement. And let's face it, with all the things going on, my daughter may need to defend herself when her brother's not there. But they practice together all the time. It's brought them closer to each other.

"What (Martial Arts Movement) is doing is really great. And the classes are free? Thank you so much." she said.

Justin Laniyo said his son had been asking about joining classes for a while now, and he feels fortunate that he was one of the first ones to enroll.

Dad says the last several weeks have been amazing.

"He's off his iPad. This helps his motor skills, and ... I get a lot of bonding with my son," said Justin Laniyo. "The instructors are black belts, and they are good teachers. It's amazing that they offer these classes for free. May God bless them."

LEARN MORE

Classes are held nightly, weekdays at the Agana Heights Community Center, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Thursday nights are led by Kyokoshin Karate instructor Tony Rodriguez. There is a waiting list for interested students. For more information, call Rick Catindig at 482-4826.